


Swim In Silence

by Selenicereus



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team as Family, team as pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-29 20:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10861932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenicereus/pseuds/Selenicereus
Summary: I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me. - Albert Einstein





	1. Good Intentions

Mac was walking through campus late at night. He had stayed late to speak with his professor so most students were in night class or back at their rooms. It was too cold out for anyone to be taking a stroll so when Mac heard voices coming from between two of the buildings he stopped to listen in.

“Just leave me alone.” A girl’s voice came down the alley.

The response was too low for Mac to hear, but he didn’t need to. He looked down the alley and saw five men standing in a louse semi-circle. Just over the shoulder of two of the men Mac could see a girl, standing with her back to the wall. Mac made his way down the alley.

“What’s going on here.” He called, stepping around the men and in-between them and the girl.

“Just keep walking home, this isn’t your problem.” One of the men said.

“I don’t like unfair fights. So I make it a point to make them my problem.” Mac said.

“Don’t worry it’s not going to be a fight.” Another boy laughed.

“So you’ll leave?” Mac asked.

“No, but you’ll leave.” The first man said again. “That girl is a wolf, and we’re just here to teach her a little lesson.”

Mac’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t back down. “Wolf, elf or human, five to one is still outnumbered.”

“Then you’ll just have to make it five to two for us, that’s a better number.”

That was apparently the signal because the men all moved in. Mac took a step back towards the dumpster. A wolf jumped forward and took on three of the men as two went after Mac. Mac already had a plan.

 

 ***

 

Jack ran around the corner as fast as he could and saw Riley in wolf form at the end of the alley. There were five men already on the ground, but one was still standing. As Jack watched the man took a step towards Riley.

Putting on an extra burst of speed Jack growled to get the man’s attention off of Riley. The blond turned just as Jack jumped, throwing off his aim so he bit down on the man’s shoulder rather than tearing out his throat. Momentum knocked the boy to the ground with Jack on top of him.

“ _Stop!_ ” Riley yelled.

Jack had been about to finish off the boy but stopped with his teeth bared at the kid’s throat. Riley was pulling Jack off the boy.

“He was helping me.” Riley explained as she checked on the boy.

The fall had knocked the kid unconscious. Riley grabbed her scarf and bundled it up, holding it to the wound.

Jack shifted. “I’m sorry Ri.”

He looked around at the alley. The ground was disturbed and a handful of garbage. “What happened?”

“I was walking home and when these five,” she gestured around at the men around the alley, “cornered me. Then this kid comes out of nowhere and steps between them. When they attacked he made some kind of smoke bomb that distracted them long enough for us to knock them out. That’s when you showed up and attacked.”

“I misread the situation. Do you-“

Jack was cut off when the kid seized, letting out a groan as his muscles contacted. Riley tried to hold the kid as he convulsed.

“What’s happening.” Riley asked.

“It’s my bite. He’s starting to change.” Jack said. “We have to get him back to the den. We can protect him there.”

The kid stopped convulsing and Riley relaxed a fraction.

“Riley we need to go now.” Jack said. “I’ll carry him, you shift and be on guard.”

“I can carry him.” Riley protested.

“I know you’re strong enough, but your stronger as the wolf, and you’ve never see someone else change. You don’t understand the change like I do.”

Riley looked like she wanted to argue, but the kid groaned again and she sighed, “Alright.”

Jack picked up the kid as Riley changed. Cradling the kid with his head against Jack’s shoulder and his legs caught under the knees wasn’t the easiest way to carry someone, but Jack didn’t want to try a fireman’s carry in case the kid started convulsing again, or worse started shifting.

“He’s so skinny.” Jack muttered as the kid’s elbow caught his ribs.

Riley huffed, _He looks like a ragdoll in your arms._

“A ragdoll with sharp elbows.” Jack grossed shifting the kid’s arm.

The rest of the walk they were quiet. It was late enough that most people were inside for the night, but there were a few open windows issuing music or laughter. Jack pulled on pack magic to help hid them from wondering eyes, it wouldn’t make them invisible but it would make people less likely look their way.

The house they arrived at wasn’t big but it was on two lots so there was plenty of space. As they walked up the path the front door opened and Bozer stepped out to greet them.

“Ri! Are you okay?” Bozer asked.

Riley went up to Bozer and leaned against him, allowing him to rub behind her ears a moment before turning to Jack.

“He did what?” Bozer asked, turning wide eyes on Jack and the kid he was holding.

“No private telepathy at home.” Jack grossed at Riley who rolled her eyes and walked inside to change.

“Whatever she said, it was a misunderstanding.” Jack defended.

But Bozer didn’t seem to be paying attention to Jack’s words, he was staring at the kid in Jack’s arms. As Jack stepped up onto the porch next to Bozer the light finally fell across the kid’s face ad Bozer gasped.

“Mac!” Bozer put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Oh, man Mac.”

“You know him?” Riley asked from the door.

“Mac and I grew up together.” Bozer said following Jack inside the house.

“Does he know about you?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, Mac know, he knows everything about me.”

“Does he know you’re in town.” Riley asked skeptically.

“Uhh, he knows I was planning on moving.” Bozer says.

The kid, _Mac_ (Jack thought), started to struggle again.

“We need to get him to the guest room, the change is close.” Jack said walking down the hallway. “Boz, start cooking, new wolves need a lot of food after their first change.”

“Got it.” Bozer said, turning back to the kitchen.

Riley followed Jack into the guest room, hovering at his elbow as he set the kid, _Mac_ (Jack mentally corrected again), on the bed.

“Help me strip the bed.” Jack said pulling pillows off and throwing them across the room.

Riley started pulling the blankets off starting with one half of the bed until it was down to one sheet then shifting Mac over to get the other side. Once they had the bed down to it’s fitted sheet Jack looked up at Riley.

“It might be best if you go help Bozer. New wolves are easily overwhelmed and territorial, so it’s best if there’s only one of us in the room.” Jack said softly.

Mac was shivering even as sweat covered his body and started to soak through his sweater. Riley took a moment to look at the kid then nodded and silently left the room. Jack closed the door behind her and listened to her footsteps retreat down the hall. Turning back to the kid Jack sighed.

The change was catching up to the kid fast. Soon the shift would overwhelm him and the kid would either change into a wolf or die as his body rejected the magic coursing through his veins. If the kid managed to shift it would be painful, excruciating even, as his bones shifted and his muscles stretched. Jack knew from experience that it was easier, less painful to shift without cloths, so he moved to the kid and started pulling off his sweater.

After a few minutes the kid lay bare on the bed. He was shaking with magic, his body still trying to fight off the virus, if it didn’t stop fighting soon the kid would die.

“Come on.” Jack murmured.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, as far from the kid as he could get.

“Come on kid, stop fighting it.” Jack worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

If this kid died Bozer would be crushed, Jack could see it in his face when he recognized the kid. Mac

“Come on Mac.” Jack forced himself to use the name. “Stop fighting Mac or it’ll kill you.”

Mac stilled on the bed, and Jack held his breath listening for the kid’s next heartbeat.


	2. Paws?!

It happened fast and at the same time it seemed to stretch out forever. Mac felt his body ripping apart, he could feel his bones grinding against each other and his joints popped out of place only to settle in a new spot. His muscles ripped apart and re-knit themselves in an instant and his skin felt like it burned away to be replace by something new.

Distantly he heard himself scream and thought the sound would go on forever.

But as suddenly as it started it ended. The eternity of pain had only been a moment before it was swept away. He lay panting, his mind reeling from the experience.

 _What the hell just happened?_ Mac thought.

Once he had his breathing under control he sat up, or rather he tried to. His arms felt weird and shook as he tried to push himself up until he ended up collapsing back onto his belly.

Opening his eyes Mac blinked down at his hands. Where his hands should have been... He blinked his brain trying to decipher what his eyes were telling him.

Paws.

There were _paws_ in place of his hands.

 _What the hell?_ Mac said… tried to say.

Did he just?...

 _What the HELL?_ Mac said again, but again all that came out was a growled.

And not just a groggy-morning-growl, this was a full-throated-dog-growl.

 _Or wolf._ A corner of his mind said.

 _Oh no,_ Mac thought. _OH, HELL NO!_

“Calm down, you’re safe here.”

Mac didn’t realize he’d moved until he found himself in a corner growling. He was glaring down a tall man with short cropped brown hair, Mac would almost call the style a military cut except where the center was longer and styled into a point. There was scruff on the man’s jaw line as if he hadn’t shaved in a day, and there were enough wrinkles that Mac place the man in his forties. The man only was wearing sweat pants so Mac could see the muscle that defined the man’s upper body.

 _Not someone to get in a fight with_. Mac thought. He knew he was skinny, and although he was stronger than most people thought, he knew when he was out matched. Mac shifted his footing.

Four feet.

He looked down at his hands… paws. Still paws. Oh gods, his hands were still paws.

“Shhh, it’s okay.” The man said. “Don’t think about it. Just listen to my voice.”

Mac tried to focus on the words.

“I’m Jack. Dalton. Jack Dalton. Oh, man I’m sorry I’ve only done this once before. Just focus on what I’m saying. You were on campus, walking home I’d assume. But you stopped to help a girl who was cornered by a bunch of idiots.” The man growled, then took a moment to breath. “Sorry, stay calm. Just stay calm.”

 _Me or you?_ Mac wondered. He had stopped growling and shaking. Jack may not know how to do this, whatever this is, but it was helping. Mac tuned back in on the words.

“You and Riley managed to take care of them all but when you turned to her after the fight something hit you from behind.” Jack glanced down at the floor.

It was the first time he had broken eye contact and Mac realized the eye contact had been helping as much as the words. He whimpered when Jack lowered his eyes and Jack immediately looked back up.

“Sorry,” Jack murmured, his voice getting quieter. “I was the one who hit you. Ri called for help and when I got there it was just you and her. I thought you were one of the attackers so I jumped you. I bit you. It was instinct. If I had been thinking straight I would have never done that, you have to understand that. I never would have forced something like this on anyone. But I thought my pack was in trouble and I just reacted.”

Mac sighed. He understood all too well. Sometimes you just stepped into a situation and acted before you knew the whole story. It had become second nature for Mac to the point that he didn’t even worry about it anymore, it was just how life worked for him. Mac lay down on his belly and put his head on his paws.

_Yep, I have paws._

“That’s it.” Jack crouched to he was closer to eye level with Mac. “I know your mind’s probably racing with questions right now, but just relax and rest a minute.”

He was quiet after that and just watched Mac. Mac usually got uncomfortable when people watched him, but something about how Jack was looking at him… It was like Jack was checking to make sure he was okay. Jack was studying Mac like a collector would study a work of art, looking at every detail trying to pinpoint exactly what made the piece alluring.

After a few minutes of quiet Mac finally stood up. Carful to keep eye contact with Jack he shook himself, feeling his fur shift and settle. The feeling was so interesting he shook himself again then let his jaw go slack and gave a wolfish grin.

Jack laughed. “Yeah, it feels nice right, like settling under your favorite blanket.”

Mac nodded and Jack’s smile grew into a grin.

“Kid, I cannot tell you how relived I am right now.” Jack stood up with a sigh. “Now, I’m guessing you’d like to know how to shift back right about now.”

As soon as Jack said it Mac felt exhilarated. it hadn’t really kicked somehow. He knew he was a wolf, it was the obvious answer, but he wasn’t just a wolf. He was a werewolf. A freaking, shapeshifter. Oh! He couldn’t wait to change back now. He had to call Bozer and tell him!

“Alright,” Jack said. “Shifting can be hard the first few times, so don’t get disappointed if you can’t get it right away. The key is focus. You need to think of something that makes you human, something that you’re good or take pride in. it has to be specific, something that sets you apart. Find what it is and focus on it, let it fill every corner of who you are until it overflows.”

Mac knew what it was. He closed his eyes and imagined being in his workshop, he let the memory fill him. He could almost feel his swiss army knife under his fingerti–

Pain shot through him and he lost hold of the memory. He yipped and opened his eyes.

“It’s okay.” Jack assured him. “Like I said, it’ll be hard at first. You have to hold on to the memory even through the pain. You may not get it the first few time but I promise it’ll get easier. Try again.”

Sighing Mac closed his eyes. This time he knew the pain was coming. He pictured each part of the workshop. The work table was tall enough that he could stand at it or sit on a bar stool. 

The pain shot through him and he grit his teeth. He forced his mind to look at the work table.

There were beakers off to one side and a bunsen burner that he always kept unplugged unless he knew he needed it for an experiment.

The pain grew, and he felt his body shifting. His mind briefly tried to run from the pain but Mac pushed forward.

He had a few draws under the bench for bits and pieces, and there were pegs on the wall over the bench for most of his tools. But more often than not he found himself reaching for his swiss army knife instead of a tool. The same knife he’s had since he was seven.

Then the pain was gone and Mac gasped.

“Crap.” He said thinking it hadn’t worked.

Then his head snapped up and met Jack’s eyes.

“Holy crap!” Mac said, this time grinning. “It worked!”

Jack was grinning. “Congratulations.”

Mac moved to stand, but his legs wobbled and knees buckled under him.

“Woah, easy now.” Jack said, crouching again to rest a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “One step at a time. Your mind is still trying to shift from four feet to two. Not to mention it takes a bucket full of energy to shift. You’re probably wiped out.”

As if to prove Jack’s point Mac yawned. Jack grinned.

“Take a beat, get your bearings. Once you’re ready get dressed and you can make your way to the kitchen.” Jack stood. “If I think you’re taking too long I’ll come and check on you.”

And with that Jack left. Mac was thankful, because he hadn’t registered that he was naked until Jack had mentioned it, and he was very uncomfortable being so vulnerable in front of a complete stranger.

Looking around the room Mac spotted his cloths on a side table next to the bed. After a few attempts he managed to stand up and walk over to the bed where he promptly sat down. Yawning again Mac grabbed his shirt and started getting dressed.


	3. Family Dinner

Ten minutes later Mac trusted his legs enough to walk out of the room. The smell of garlic led him to the

kitchen where Jack was pulling plates from a cupboard.

“We’re sitting down in the dining room.” Jack said without turning around. “Can you take these to the table.”

Mac took the proffered plates and turned, only to come face to face with –

“Bozer?” Mac was taken aback.

“Mac.” Bozer engulfed his friend in a bear hug. “Oh man you had me worried.”

“Bozer, what are you doing here?” Mac asked stepping out of the hug.

Bozer fidgeted. “You remember I said some of my pack mates were talking about moving. Well, Ri got into a class at MIT and we planned on moving anyway so here I am.”

“But isn’t there already a pack in Cambridge?” Mac asked. “Aren’t there some huge political, or territorial issues with wolves from one pack moving into another pack’s territory?”

“Normally, there would be.” Jack cut in, stepping between the friends on his way to the dining room.

“Yeah, but Jack pull some strings and made a deal with the local Alpha.” Bozer said under his breath.

Mac gave Jack’s retreating back a look. It took some serious mojo for most wolves to get even a visitor’s pass in another pack’s territory. Wolves tended to keep their politics internalized, but on occasion the news caught wind of a blow out, usually the result of two packs fighting territory wars.

“Bozer!”

Mac turned to see the girl from the alley walking towards them from the hallway.

“You’re going to burn the meat if you keep chatting.” The girl said.

“Crap.” Bozer rushed to the stove top where Mac noticed a skillet.

“Hi,” The girl walked up to Mac and held out a hand. “I’m Riley Davis. Thanks for your help earlier.”

Mac shook the proffered hand. “MacGyver.”

“Just MacGyver?” Riley asked tilting her head.

“Mac hates his first name.” Bozer said from the stove. “Everyone just knows him as Mac.”

“Alright.” Riley said simply.

“Food’s ready.” Bozer announced.

Mac was ushered to the dining room and Bozer followed with a skillet.

“That smells redonkulous Boz, what is it.” Jack asked.

“Well, I need to go buy food tomorrow so I didn’t have much to work with. I found some Italian sausage that I cut up and cooked with mushrooms, spinach, and onions. Once that was all cooked down I added plenty of tomato sauce and pasta from last night. And to finish it off it’s topped with melted mozzarella and bacon bits.” Bozer said with a flourish.

Mac hadn’t realized he was hungry until he smelled the food, but now his stomach rumbled and his mouth watered just listening to Bozer explain everything.

“Stop talking already and dish it out.” Riley said passing her plate so that Bozer could scoop a few helpings of the mixture onto the plate.

Before he knew what was happening Mac’s plate was taken and filled with food and he was digging away at the meal as if he’d been starved. When he’d nearly finished the first helping Jack leaned over and scooped more onto his plate. Mac ate the first two helpings (and three dinner rolls that seemed to materialize) without thinking about how much he was eating, but when Jack moved to add even more food to Mac’s plate he had to stop him.

“If I eat anymore my stomach will think that it’s under attack.” He said scooting the plate away from him.

Jack frowned but nodded. The others had finished their food and Mac realized he hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation. He tuned into what Bozer was saying.

“I forgot how much I like playing platformer games.”

“Probably because you’re a child, and you like simple games.” Riley quipped.

“It’s not simple, if you don’t time your jumps right it’s a pain in the butt to start over.” Bozer defended. “There’s strategy involved in, it’s not all running away from boulders and riding wild hogs.”

“No but those are your favorite levels.” Riley smiled. “Like I said you like things simple.”

Mac knew that they were talking of a video game, but couldn’t put together more than that. He let the words flow around him until Mac jerked as he realized he was nodding off. Sitting up straighter he suppressed a yawn.

“Alright,” Jack stood up stretching. “You’re about a minute away from just crashing.”

“I’m fine” Mac insisted

“No, you’re not, sorry to disagree with you Mac but your body has literally been rearranged on a cellular level even if you don’t want to admit it you’re going to crash and sleep for hours as your body uses all its energy readjusting to a new kind of equilibrium.” Riley pipped in.

 “Damn, I forgot that the first week after the change really knocks people on their back.” Bozer looks at Mac worried.  “You should get to bed Mac.”

“A week?”  Mac asked latching on to that part of Bozer’s response, “I can’t be out for a week I have class and wo—“

Another yawn cut off the rest of what he was going to say.

“We’ll take care of contacting your professors and boss. It’s not my first rodeo.” Jack offered.

“But I can’t…”  Mac felt like his eye lids were burning they were so heavy and when he blinked the scene around him changed, Boz and Riley had cleaned up most of the dishes and Jack was kneeling in front of him a hand on Mac’s shoulder to keep him in his seat.

“No kidding. Alright upsy-daisy.” Jack lifted him, draping an arm over his shoulder and half dragged the Mac back to the guest room. By the time Jack was at the door the Mac had passed out. Jack hefted the kid to carry him bridal style and set him on the bed.

“With any luck, you’ll sleep through the day and be feeling better tomorrow night.” Jack muttered as he tucked the covers over Mac.


	4. Caller ID

Jack wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the night. Once the kid, Mac, had crashed, Ri and Boz finished cleaning up then went to bed. Which left Jack alone in the living room. He was spacing out, trying not to think about what he had to do, when his phone rang. Looking at the caller id he took a deep breath before plastering a smile to his face.

“Hey Matty, how’s it going?” He said with false cheer.

“Can it Jack. I know something’s wrong. Spill it.” Matty said.

“I was just about to send you a text to let you know what’s up. Why don’t I just...”

“Stop shuffling around the issue. I can feel your anxiety and we’re not even in the same state. If your bond is transmitting your emotions this strongly there has to be something seriously wrong.” Matty sighed, then asked directly. “Is Riley hurt?”

“No.” Jack replied. “Heck no Matty. You know I’d call if anything happened to Ri or Boz.”

“Well then what is it? What has you so worried?” Matty asked.

“I… Riley was in trouble, but she’s okay…. I went to help and…” Jack was pacing, how could he explain. “She called for help, but it was all the way across campus. I could feel her panic as I ran, then just as I was closing in there was a burst of pain. Her bond shut down after that and I thought…” Jack took a deep breath. “I couldn’t feel her… all I knew was that she was alive but the bond was quiet. Then I rounded the corner and saw her. She was backed in a corner and these guys were knocked out all around her, but one was still standing.”

Jack went quiet again and after a moment Matty asked, “Did you kill him?”

“What? No, he’s fine… well not fine, but he’ll live.” Jack stuttered.

And something in Jack’s voice clued Matty in. “Oh gods, you changed him.”

“I just reacted… I didn’t mean to.” Jack tried to defend himself.

“Damn it.” Matty breathed. “We can’t have this hitting the news, not with everything that’s happening right now. If the public sees another werewolf incident it could be the tipping point that KHP is looking for.”

“I know Matty, I’m really sorry.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck.

Matty sighed. “It’s not your fault Jack. Anyone would have reacted the same way, but not everyone is going to see it as an accident. All they’ll see is a wolf attacking a human.” Matty paused.

Jack let the silence stretch, knowing Matty was trying to figure out a problem. His pacing had brought him to the back door and he looked out and up at the cloudy sky.

“Will you be able to keep the kid in check?” Matty finally asked.

“I don’t see why not, apparently Bozer grew up with him, and he’s sympathetic with wolves. He was helping Riley fight off her attackers before I showed up.”

“Good we can work with that. What about the other boys from the alley? Will they be a problem?”

Jack hadn’t even thought about the other people in the alley once he’s realized the kid was infected. He thought, but couldn’t even remember how many there had been.

“I don’t know. I didn’t even think to check on them. Crap.” Jack put his head against the cool glass of a window. “Damn it all. I really messed this one up.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Matti said. “You need to get some rest. Call me in the morning when Boz and Ri are with you, we need to figure out how you all are going to handle this.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, copy that.”

Matty hung up without another word and Jack pocketed his phone.

His mind played the scene from the alley over again in his mind, but he’d been so focused that he couldn’t remember anything new. He tried to call forth his wolf, who tended to pay more attention to the surroundings, but the wolf only remembered the smell that had filled the alley, some kind of chemical that had burned the nose.

“Crap.” He muttered.

Matty would call the local alpha to take care of the cleanup, so Jack could go to bed without worry, but his feet had him heading out the door. He swiped his coat and keys off their hooks as he left, locking the door behind him. He faltered at the steps, part of his mind was yelling to get to the scene and make sure everything was okay but he also didn’t want to leave his pack unprotected.

Wolf came forward and Jack sat down on the steps.

“We need to clean up our mess.” Jack said.

 _Others can clean up. Pack needs us here_. Wolf growled.

“Riley and Bozer can take care of each other.” Jack said. “And we won’t be gone long.”

 _New wolf needs to be kept safe._ Wolf argued.

Jack felt a pull from the wolf as magic started to swell. Before Jack could stop it, the wolf called pack magic up to the protection wards that surrounded the house. Once the wards were activated Jack had to stay as the focused or the spell would snap.

“Damn it.” Jack growled.

It was rare for Jack’s wolf to get the upper hand and he knew it only happened now because he was too tired to keep control. Not good. Of course, that also meant that he wouldn’t be able to handle the political dance he would have had if he went and spoke with the local alpha.

So, Jack sat on the front steps as he let magic fill the wards. He could rush the spell to but it would be weaker and less stable, so he took his time and a little extra setting the magic. In the morning, he’d have to make sure Bozer and Riley knew the wards were up, maybe he could try to keep them home and safe for the day, but even as he had the thought he knew he shouldn’t interrupt their life. If anyone noticed that the local wolves were acting strange people would look for trouble. It was best if they all went about as normal for now.

Finally, the Magic settled and Jack stood up. The cold had stiffened his knees a bit, but he hardly noticed as his whole body felt heavy with sleep.

“Matty was right.” He muttered as he went back inside. “I just need to sleep and recoup.”

He flopped down on the couch to take his shoes off and ended up falling asleep leaning against the arm rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KHP (Keep Humans Pure)- an anti-werewolf organization.
> 
> If you have an idea for a chapter title let me know, I'm drawing a blank.


	5. Zen Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get a closer look at how a pack works. Enjoy!

Someone was knocking on the door. Jack had his hand on the door knob without remembering getting up. Blinking at the woman on the threshold Jack groaned and stepped back to give her access to the house.

“You didn’t have to come, isn’t this just going to draw attention.” Jack mumbled.

Matty turned and gave Jack a look that made him feel like he was the one who stood at 4” 3’ not Matty. How did she manage to look down on him when he stood above her? he wondered.

“We’re already in the lime light.” Matty said. “One of the men from last night’s incident got to the media.”

Jack felt his world shift and sat down where he was. “Crap. What is he claiming?”

Matty held out the morning paper for Jack to see the header.

**COLLEGE  STUDENTS ATTACKED BY LOCAL PACK. THREE IN HOSPITAL.**

“The Bay Pack has _invited_ us to a meeting.” Matty said.

“You mean they’ve demanded we come to stand trial before them.” Jack growled.

“They know better than to demand, and it won’t be a trial. They know you’re not to blame. We just need to share our information so we can stay on top of this.” Matty said carefully.

“Alright I’ll go.” Jack stood, leaning against the wall slightly.

Matty stepped forward and grabbed Jack’s hand. He felt power flow from the grip into his body and he shuttered. His head cleared and the dizziness faded.

“Thanks.” He murmured.

Matty nodded. “You spent all your strength setting the wards, didn’t you? You know the wards are pack magic and need to be sealed with the help of pack, they drain too much out of a single host.”

“I needed to make sure they were safe.” Jack explained.

“Pack means we keep each other safe.” Riley pipped in.

She was standing with Bozer in the archway to the kitchen. Both of them were dressed and looked much more awake then Jack felt.

“How long have you been standing there?” Jack asked.

“Not long, but we heard everything from the other room.” Bozer said.

“Good,” Matty said taking charge. “Then get Jack some food and be ready to leave in twenty minutes.”

(20min countdown starts now)

“Wait, no.” Jack looked at Matty, “I thought –“

“We’re all going to the meeting.” Matty cut him off. “The Pack needs all the information we have and that means Riley and you have to give witness. We can’t leave Bozer alone with the new wolf, so they’ll be coming with us. And the Bay pack will need to hear the new wolf’s testimony as well.”

Jack’s wolf stirred and he moved to block Matty as she went down the hallway. The Alpha looked at Jack and he submitted, averting his eyes to concede dominance.

“What’s wrong Jack?” Matty said gently.

He flinched. Matty was her most dangerous when she was soft spoken and polite. But she was also the best Alpha he’d ever had because she would give her wolves a chance to explain their actions instead of simply commanding them to comply.

“I…” Jack wasn’t sure what he was doing so he closed his eyes to listen to what his wolf was saying.

“It’s not safe to bring Mac to the meeting.” Jack said.

“It’s never safe to bring a new wolf around an agitated pack, but we have no other choice.” Matty said. “I’ve already discussed it with the alpha, and she guarantees that no harm will come to me or mine.”

But Jack still didn’t move, something hadn’t settled the wolf and with Matty’s last words Jack figured out what was wrong.

“He’s not yours.” Jack said.

Matty had stepped around Jack and continued down the hall, but stopped mid-step at his words. Riley and Bozer were at Jack’s back so he couldn’t see their faces but he heard them catch their breaths as Matty pulled on the back bonds. Magic swelled, filling the hall for a moment then dissipated and Matty turned on Jack her eye’s golden with the wolf.

“I thought you said _you_ bit him.” Matty growled. “Why isn’t he in the bonds?”

“I did. I don’t know why he’s not bonded.” Jack shuffled uncertainty.

“Is he feral?” Matty asked.

“No!” Bozer shouted.

Matty shot him a look and Boz backed down but he clenched his jaw.

“He’s not feral.” Bozer said more gently. “He woke up and had dinner with us last night. You can’t hurt him, he’s not a threat to us.”

“You know I’d never let a feral wolf live.” Jack growled, backing up Bozer.

Matty closed her eyes and sighed. When she looked at them again her eyes were their normal brown color, with maybe just a hint of gold around the edges.

“Well what am I supposed to think when there’s an unbound wolf in my pack house?” Matty asked. “Un bonded wolves don’t just happen for no reason. Either they don’t bond because they are feral and out of control or…”

Matty stopped and blinked, looking down the hall towards the guest room.

“Or?” Jack asked.

He’d never heard of a wolf unbound unless they were feral, but feral meant he would be killed. If there was an ‘or’ Jack would take it, he was willing to latch onto any idea that would save Mac

“Omega?” Matty muttered, taking off down the hall again.

“What’s an omega?” Riley asked as the three followed Matty.

“I thought it was a story, a myth.” Jack muttered.

They entered the guest room then and all of them froze in the doorway. Matty was kneeling on the bed next to Mac, her hand around Mac’s throat. Mac was awake and wide-eyed looking up at Matty. The kid stayed completely still, and Jack praised heaven the kid wasn’t trying to struggle.

“I won’t hurt you if you answer honestly. If you lie I’ll know, so don’t test my patience.” Matty was speaking softly again.

Jack felt his hackles go up and took a step forward.

“Relax Jack.” Matty called without looking back at him. “I won’t kill him, but he needs to know I’m serious. And stop growling.”

He hadn’t realized he was growling but once Matty said it he felt the rumble in his chest and immediately stopped. It wouldn’t help anyone if he got into a fight with Matty right now. Taking a deep breath Jack let some of the tension out of his shoulders then looked at the kid. Mac’s eyes were so wide the whites were visible around the iris and Mac was staring intently at Jack. Once they made eye contact Mac closed his eyes and visibly let his body relax. When Mac opened his eyes again he gazed up at Matty, meeting her eyes.

Jack had seen many wolves have their first meeting with Matty, and they had all tried to prove their dominance, but none had lasted longer than a few moments looking into Matty’s eyes before they submitted. It was some kind of instinct that the wolf half felt strongly, to display dominance based on a staring contest (which Jack had found hilarious when he was first changed). Humans showed it in everyday life as less confident (less dominant) people averted their eyes as they walked past more dominant people on the street. But in a pack, it went deeper then who could stair down whom. Dominance decided your rank in the pack and the more dominant you were the stronger the wolf tended to be.

But as Mac looked at Matty he didn’t appear to notice the tension that was building up in Matty’s shoulder as thirty seconds drew out into a minute and then into two minutes. Finally, Mac blinked, it wasn’t submission to the alpha’s dominance, but it broke Matty out of her dominance game.

“How much do you know –“ Matty started.

_Mac._ Jack projected through the pack bond so that Matty knew the kid’s name. Matty shot Jack a look then turned back to the kid.

“How much do you know about wolves and the pack? Mac.” Matty tacked the name on the end like an afterthought.

“Growing up I learned a little.” Mac shot a look at Bozer. “And I’ve learned a bit more along the way, especially in light of recent political events.”

“What do you know about the different kinds of wolves?” Matty pressed.

“Most wolves are some degree of dominant. The more dominant the wolf, the closer to the top ranks of the pack. Less dominant wolves are towards the bottom of the pack; and on occasion a wolf will be born or turned without being dominant, they’re called submissive.” Mac looked at Bozer again. “Submissive wolves are like ‘zen masters’ of the pack. They don’t have the same desire to fight for position in the pack that dominant wolves have.”

“Zen masters?” Matty asked looking over at Bozer. “That’s not the best description of a submissive wolf but I suppose it works on a basic level. Is there anything else?”

Mac blinked unsure. “Anything else about different kinds of wolves? Not really, it’s just the two sides of the coin.” Then something must have clicked and Mac’s eyes went wide again. “Oh, there are feral wolves; people who were bitten and can’t control the wolf so they go crazy.”

Matty watched Mac, waiting to see if there was anything else. Mac looked like he wanted to squirm now, and Jack could smell panic starting to fill the air of the small room.

“I’m not feral.” Mac said, trying to stay calm. “I’m not going crazy, at least I don’t think I am, the wolf isn’t trying to take over. I don’t think my wolf even wants to be dominant, I’m probably a submissive.”

Matty decided to relent, slightly. “Most wolves can figure out where they are on the ranking just by meeting each other’s eyes. More dominant wolves will be able to stare down less dominant wolves. Submissive wolves will always avert their eyes to dominant wolves, usually in less than thirty seconds simply because their wolf has no desire to fight. But when you met my eyes you didn’t look away. You were able to look at me for two minutes without feeling any compulsion from your wolf to avert your eyes.”

Mac blinked. “What does that mean? Are we both the same dominance?”

“No,” Matty sighed. “If we were close to each other in rank then you and I would have felt the need to fight to determine who was the stronger wolf. But you didn’t feel anything did you?”

“Um… I felt slightly uncomfortable.” Mac hedged.

“Uncomfortable because I have my claws around your neck, not because your wolf wanted to prove his dominance.” Matty said. “You’re not submissive, you’re not dominant, and you’re not feral. You’re an omega.”

“Omega?” Mac frowned. “You mean like the ‘Legend of the Omega Alpha’?”

“The Legend of the Omega Alpha is a story wolves tell to their pups. It’s idea that an Alpha could be both powerful enough to control a pack, yet kind enough to save a nation, is an ideal for young pups who will grow to become alphas. It’s teaches that power alone isn’t the only strength of an alpha. But the story doesn’t give a clear picture of what an omega is.”

Matty looked at her watch. “We don’t have time to get into this right now. Jack,” she turned to the other wolf. “go change, you stink, then get everyone to the car. Bozer, make some sandwiches, we’ll have to eat on the go.” She sighed. “I need to make a call. Riley, stay with Mac, help him get ready to go.”

No one moved until Matty had left the room, then everyone moved at once. Bozer, Riley and Jack moved to surround Mac who sat up on the bed.

“What’s going on?” Mac asked looking around him. “Where are we going?”

“Riley will explain as you get ready.” Jack said looking at the time. “We have seven minutes to get to the car before Matty gets on our case.”

Bozer and Riley nodded their understanding.

“Alright,” Jack sighed. “I’m going to jump in the shower quick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't posted in ages, sorry. Trying to balance work and having a life.


	6. Sharing Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has totally gotten away from me. Idk where it's going so hold on, its gonna be a bumpy ride.

Eight minutes later they were all in the car on the way to the Boston Bay Pack house. Jack was driving with Matty in the passenger seat and Ri, Boz and Mac in the back. It had started to rain and the morning roads were thick with people on their way to work. The pack house was across the river in the Allston neighborhood. It was the biggest house in the neighborhood as well as one of the oldest. The ride out was silent as everyone was eating the roast sandwiches that Bozer had made. Jack managed one sandwich as he drove and he heard Boer making Mac eat another one when the kid tried to say he was full.

When they were about five minutes out Matty finally spoke up.

“Jack and Riley will be the focus of today’s meeting. I explained that Mac wouldn’t be able to give witness today, so hopefully you’ll be able to blend into the background with Bozer.” Matty directed. “WE agreed that the entire Bay pack didn’t need to attend so there should only be a handful of wolves in the meeting, but all the same keep your tempers in check and your mouths shut when you’re not giving you witness. That goes double for you Jack.”

“Why am I being singled out?” Jack grumbled.

“Because Riley knows when to bide her time and Bozer wont offend anyone even if he tried because he’s a sub. Mac is too tired to cause trouble and will probably fall asleep through the meeting and give us an excuse to leave early.”

“Glad to help.” Mac muttered.

“But I know you Jack, you’ll see trouble before any has begun and spring into action.” Matty stated. “So keep a lid on it.”

They had pulled into the driveway and Jack parked the car before he retorted. “I’ll be fine so long as they don’t start anything.”

Matty rolled her eyes. “That’s my point, don’t look for anything to start and you won’t find anything.”

There was a wolf waiting for them on the steps leading up to the house. He dropped his gaze when they approached so Jack knew the wolf was a sub.

“My name is Lisa, I’m here to show you to the meeting.” The woman said.

“Thank you, Lisa.” Matty said. “Please lead the way.”

They walked through the house to the back where a library and office looked over on the back yard.  There was a table pulled into the center of the room. Six wolves were on the far side of the table, their backs to the book shelves, leaving the side along the door open for Matty and her pack. As they entered the room everyone stood and waited for Matty pack to fan out, standing behind the seats they would take.

Jack pulled the chair out for Matty and allowed her to sit down. Once she was seated everyone else took their place leaving only one wolf standing across form Matty.

“I am Patricia Thornton, Alpha of the Boston Bay Pack. I welcome you into my home and grant you my protection during your visit.”

“I am Matty Webber, Alpha of the Phoenix Pack. I thank you for your hospitality and promise to cause no trouble for you or your house.”

“Thank you for your word. Now, allow me to introduce my second, Nikki Carpenter. I’ve also invited Mike and Lyle to sit in on this meeting they are members of the local fire and rescue teams in the Boston and Cambridge areas respectively.” As she introduced each wolf they inclined their head. “And finally, Aaron and Brett are part of my public relations team. They are here to help us figure out how we should best handle the media.”

“A pleasure to meet you all.” Mattie said as Patricia took her seat. “I have brought along the members of my pack who are temporarily living in Cambridge. My second Jack Dolton, who also witnessed part of the incident last night. Riley and MacGyver were also witnesses and victims of the incident last night.”

Mac stiffened slightly as the wolves around the table turned to look at him. He didn’t much care for Mattie calling him a victim, especially around a pack of wolves he didn’t know. It made him feel vulnerable, as if she had painted a target on him that said ‘prey.’ He picked up the water that was in front of him, taking a few sips.

“And finally, Bozer.” Mattie finished.

“A pleasure.” Thornton said, taking control of the meeting. “Now that introductions are out of the way, let us get to the business at hand. It is my understanding that Miss Riley was the first wolf at the incident.”

“I was.” Riley answered.

Aaron who had been staring at Mac, turned and opened a notebook he had sitting in front of him. “Can you go through the events as clearly as you remember them.”

“I was walking across campus after my classes.” Riley started, explaining the night step by step.

Her recollection was so vivid Mac could imagine the alley and the sound of the voices as they taunted her.

_“Well if it isn’t the wolf bitch. What are you doing out in the cold by yourself, your pack kick you out once they were done with you?”_

_“I don’t want any trouble.” Riley said softly. “Just leave me alone.”_

“That’s when Mac came around the corner.” Riley paused in her telling.

A few eyes shifted to Mac and he hunkered lower in his seat, taking another drink of water as a distraction.

“We’ll hear from Mr. MacGyver in a moment.” Thornton said. “Please continue Miss Riley.”

Riley nodded. “Mac stepped between the men and myself. He tried to talk them down but they wouldn’t leave.”

Mac set down his cup and was staring at the grain of the table in front of him. Aaron’s gaze had settled on Mac again and this time it didn’t waver as Riley told her story. It was as if he was searching for something from Mac but Mac wasn’t sure what it was. After a few moments, Mac got tired of the stare down and lifted his head. Riley was still explaining events so Mac didn’t say anything, he simply made eye contact with Aaron across the table.

Aaron stiffened as they locked eyes and Mac felt something inside himself boil to the surface. He’d only meant to meet Aaron’s gaze for a moment but once their eyes met it was as if he was locked in a stair down and he couldn’t back out. Everything around him went out of focus as the seconds stretched by. Nothing mattered except maintaining Aaron’s gaze.

Suddenly Jack was in front of Mac, cutting off the line of sight. The room snapped back into focus and Mac realized everyone was silent as they looked at him. Then Aaron erupted.

“I demand an explanation!” Aaron shouted.

Mac didn’t look, but he knew the man was on his feet.

“Your wolf has shown me disrespect by refusing to submit to my dominance.” He yelled at Mattie. “I chall- “

“Stop.” Thornton said, raising her voice just enough to be heard over Aaron.

The other wolf snapped his mouth shut so quick Mac could hear the click of his teeth.

“I believe we should take a break.” Thornton said. “Mattie, there’s a room your pack can use on the other side of the lobby. Lisa will show you over.”

Jack took hold of Mac’s elbow as they walked out. Lisa had been in the hallway and showed them across to an office.

“If you need anything I’ll be down the hall.” Lisa said. “Once that door is closed the room is sound proof so you’ll have privacy.”

“Thank you, Lisa.” Mattie said.

Jack pulled Mac into the room and made him sit behind the desk. Riley made a quick circle of the room.

“Drink something.” Bozer said offering Mac a glass of water.

Mac took a few sips then held the glass against his forehead.

“What just happened?” Mac asked.

“Aaron wasn’t just trying to provoke a challenge from you Mac.” Mattie said softly. “If he had challenged you and you lost, then you would have to submit to his dominance and join his pack, the Boston Bay pack.”

“What?” Bozer looked as stunned as Mac felt.

“Aaron knew that Mac hasn’t been officially joined into our pack, and therefor is still subject to the traditional customs. If Mac were to submit to another wolf in a fight he would have to join that pack. This is why Thornton and I had agreed not to mention your status at today’s meeting, but it appears someone else has found out on their own.”

“Do you think Thornton was in on it?” Jack asked.

Mattie thought for a moment before answering. “It’s hard to tell. There are a lot of advantages to having an omega in a pack. But if she was in on the plan then why would she stop her wolf before he could issue the challenge.”

“Maybe that’s what she wanted.” Riley said. “If it looks like she’s saving Mac from a challenge then you would feel indebted to her.”

“We could debate Thornton’s motives further, but right now we need to worry about how to get through the meeting.”  Mattie sighed. “If we keep Mac in the mix things will keep escalading, but we need his testimony.”

“We have Riley’s testimony wont that be enough? She was there the whole time, and I’ll be giving my testimony.” Jack said.

“Jack, I know you’re trying to protect Mac, but you of all people know that in cases were humans get hurt or changed one wolf’s testimony isn’t enough, and you didn’t get there till the end. Mac was there with Riley the whole time, he has to give his testimony.” Mattie said.

“I thought this wasn’t a trial.” Jack growled. “We’re just sharing our information.”

“It’s not a trial.” Mattie said. “But that doesn’t mean that one of the Bay wolves won’t try to challenge Riley. If that happens we need Mac’s testimony to back her up.” Mattie took a deep breath. “I’ll ensure Mac doesn’t need to give a full testimony. If anyone questions Riley’s word Mac, just say it’s the truth, don’t go into detail. We don’t want anyone focused on you for too long.”

“But testimony is only the beginning.” Jack huffs. “They are going to want a plan for dealing with the media fall out. This meeting could last hours.”

“It could.” Mattie agreed. “Which is why once testimony is given I’m going to dismiss Riley, Bozer, and Mac. You three will come back in here and wait out the rest of the meeting.”

Jack shifted, crossing his arms. “The three of them alone in another pack’s home? It’s not safe. Us being here is already riling up some of the pack if Aaron is anything to go on.”

“Which is why I called Thornton when you were getting ready. Most of the pack have been sent out on errands and told not to return until allowed. Other than Lisa every pack member in the house is in the meeting room. We’ll be able to keep an eye on them during the meeting, and you three will be safe in here.”

Jack grumbled but otherwise kept quiet. Mac had tried to track everything but his mind was stuck.

“What just happened?” He asked again.

Mattie sighed.

“I know things are a bit confusing.” Bozer started to explain. “Wolf politics…”

“That’s not what I mean.” Mac put his class down and stood up. “I understand… well, some of the reasoning and politics you guys just went over. That’s not what’s confusing me.” He turned to Mattie. “I thought you said my wolf wouldn’t feel the need to challenge other wolves.”

Mattie stiffened. Riley and Bozer frowned and Jack started to growl.

“Omegas don’t participate in dominance fights.” Bozer said.

“But you saw how Mac was looking at Aaron.” Riley said. “They locked eyes and I could feel the tension rising off of both of them.”

“Did anyone else drink the water?” Jack growled.

Everyone shook their heads, turning to Mattie.

“No one drink or eat anything else. We can’t prove that anything happened right now and if we make accusations without evidence we will have more than just the media to fight with.” Mattie said. “They’ll be able to smell your anger Jack, and mine as well, but hopefully they will just assume that it’s from Aaron’s attempted challenge. Once we get back to the house, Riley, I want you to check over Mac.”

“I could check now.” Riley offered.

“It’ll have to wait, we need to finish this meeting as soon as possible so that we can handle the blowout with the media.” Mattie said. “Is there anything else we need to address right now?”

No one said anything. Mattie waited a full minute before nodding. “Alright, then let’s get back to it.”


	7. Stressed and Angry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and the team head home for dinner and conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking so long for me to post new chapters. If you want a quick read with a dependable writer look elsewhere. I write slow and I forget to post regularly.

Mac was exhausted as they left the meeting house. He slipped into the back seat of the car and curled in on himself. The other doors opened and Riley and Bozer sandwiched him in the middle. Shifting, Mac ended up with his head on Bozer’s shoulder and started to drift to sleep. He bolted awake at the first turn as a wave of motion sickness snuck up on him. After that he sat staring out the front window and jolting awake whenever his head started to sag with sleep. The effect made for a short, disjointed car ride back to the pack house.

Jack slipped an arm around Mac’s shoulders as they got out of the car and soon Mac found himself on the couch in the living room. Matty was saying something and it took Mac a moment to tune in to her words.

“… a few days before things settle down. It should be an easier transition because he’s omega but I’ve never seen a newly made omega before, so it could go either way at this point.”

“I can handle it.” Jack said. “New wolves aren’t what I’m worried about, it the pol-“

It took Mac a moment to realize he’d fallen asleep. He was still on the couch but Matty was gone and he could see Bozer in the kitchen cooking something. The smell of something salty and decidedly meat, wafted through the house and Mac’s stomach growled.

“Food will be ready in five minutes.” Jack said.

He was standing next to Mac and handing the kid a cup of water when he turned to look at the Texan. Mac emptied the glass in one go and sighed a breath, looking for somewhere to put the cup down.

“Riley took a look at you while you slept; she couldn’t find any trace of drug in your system. Whatever they gave you must have been a small dose that you metabolized before we got home. Your sleepiness now is your body still trying to transition to the wolf, so don’t be surprised if you are over whelmed with sleep every now and then.” Jack explained taking the cup and refilling it. “It should only last the first few days but on a few occasions, I’ve seen wolves who were a month-old slip to sleep in an instant.”

Mac frowned. “Sound like my quiet normal life just broke a window on its way out of the building.”

Jack scoffed. “Normal is boring. But don’t let it bother you. Every wolf is different so we’ll play it by ear for now.”

“What about classes?” Mac asked suddenly remembering what his normal like actually meant. “I have lab on Monday and my partner needs to meet up for our project.”

Jack said. “If I had my way, you’d call your professors and tell them you’re out sick for the next few days, and I’d watch you like a hawk.”

“You’re joking.” Mac said. “This isn’t grade school where skipping classes means you have to miss recess to make up the work. If I get behind with my classes it’ll be a royal pain in the back side to get back on track for the rest of the semester.”

“I’m saying that it would be easier if you skipped a few days.” Jack sighed. “Not that Matty agrees with me.”

Mac growled, “I can’t miss class. In fact, I refuse to miss class. If you want me to stay cooped up then you’ll have to tie me down.”

“I just might if you don’t stop arguing and actually listen to what I’m saying.” Jack growled.

“You even try and I’ll be gone before you blink.” Mac snapped back.

He stood up to be on the same level as Jack, somehow sitting felt like weakness and he couldn’t stand showing weakness in front of Jack, a man he didn’t really know. Mac’s fists were clenched and he felt his breath coming faster as he got angry.

“What gives you the right to say how I live my life.” Mac snarled. “You don’t know the first thing about me, or how I live.”

“Mac,” Bozer stepped between Jack and Mac. “You need to calm down man.”

“I can’t just drop my life, my classes, and he can’t keep me here if I don’t want to stay.” Mac glared at Jack.

“You’re right, okay.” Bozer was speaking softly. “But right now, you need to calm down, if you get stressed out the wolf will come to the surface.”

“He can’t keep me here.” Mac repeated, his ears were ringing.

“He’s not saying that Mac.” Boz said, then changed tact. “If you want to go to classes you can go to classes. We’ll figure out how to make it work, okay. We’re just trying to help you Mac.”

Mac’s head felt like it was splitting open. He dropped back onto the couch and put his head in his hands. For a few moments, all he could focus on was the pain, it felt like it would tear him apart. Then there was a hand on his shoulder. It was like cool water on a fresh burn, everything dulled down and he could think again.

“Steady your breathing.” Jack was muttering, his voice calm. “Breath in, relax, breath out. Good, again.”

Mac breathed in time with Jack until his head cleared and he looked up. Jack was kneeling in front of him, one hand on Mac’s shoulder. Bozer and Riley were in the kitchen, pretending not to watch.

“What was that?” Mac asked.

“The wolf.” Jack said simply.

Mac looked at him quizzically.

“When you get stressed, or angry, it brings out the wolf. If you don’t control it, it can cause a change.” Jack explained. “If the wolf feels you’re in danger it will come to the forefront to try and protect itself. It’s harder on newly changed Were’s to control the wolf, but after some training you’ll get a handle on it.”

Mac thought for a moment. “That’s why you want to keep an eye on me.”

“Yes and no.” Jack said.

Mac raised an eyebrow.

Jack sighed. “Nothing is ever going to be simple with you, is it?”

“Probably not.” Mac grinned.

Bozer came over with a plate of food for Mac and a cup of water.

Jack sighed. “Alright, I’ll explain as you eat.”


End file.
